<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cEverything changes, nothing stays the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe opening line of Sfera Ebbasta\u2019s 2020 hit\u00a0\u201cBottiglie Priv\u00e9\u201d\u00a0feels like it was written for this story. Ten years ago, a video went viral: a trap kid in what would soon become his signature style, sitting on a police car between the housing blocks of Cinisello Balsamo, the Milan suburb he comes from. Then the camera cut to the Peace Arch, where the same kid appeared atop a limousine. A striking image \u2013 just like his magnetism and sharp, straightforward flow, able to capture the desires and frustrations of those who grew up in Cinisello\u2019s Crocetta neighborhood or any other Italian suburb. The video was\u00a0\u201cBRNBQ,\u201d summer 2015. Since then, everything has changed for 33-year-old Gionata Boschetti \u2013 except his ability to tell the truth of the world around him.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn the last 10 years, Sfera has collaborated with the likes of Quavo, J Balvin, Future, Offset, Rich The Kid. He was a judge of The X Factor Italy <\/em>in 2019, and in September 2025 he was the only Italian guest to join Drake onstage for two shows in Milan. This year, he\u2019s once again Italy\u2019s most-streamed artist on Spotify (for the fifth time). To celebrate his ten-year career, he just released\u00a0XDVR ANNIVERSAR10<\/em>, featuring two unreleased tracks from that era (\u201cPrega X Noi\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cOrologi\u201d) and launched $\u20acLEBRATION, an artistic project culminating in June and July 2026 with shows at stadiums in Turin and Milan.<\/p>\n \n\t2025 was also the year of Santana Money Gang,<\/em> his joint album with Shiva, another heavyweight in the Italian rap scene. \u201cIt was a natural collaboration \u2013 we have a lot in common,\u201d Sfera tells us in the Milan studio where Billboard Italy met him for this feature.<\/p>\n \n\tWhy does everything you release end up at No. 1?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tMy music might be called superficial \u2013 some people definitely say that. But I\u2019d use another word: simple. It\u2019s something that reaches everyone: kids, adults, whoever. That\u2019s my strength: expressing real things in just a few words. Sure, my fanbase is extremely loyal. Whatever I drop, they want to listen to it.<\/p>\n \n\tA fan base still has to be built and maintained, though.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tOf course. But I really have to thank my fans \u2013 they defend me a lot.<\/p>\n \n\tYou must work hard to achieve that lyrical simplicity.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI write instinctively, without formulas. But sometimes I question a track until the very last moment. We might all be excited about it, then suddenly I\u2019m not convinced anymore. I\u2019m very critical of myself. Even if it may seem like my songs come together in five minutes, I actually spend a ton of time on them.<\/p>\n \n\tWhy release\u00a0\u201cOrologi\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cPrega X Noi\u201d\u00a0now?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tBecause\u00a0\u201cOrologi\u201d\u00a0was leaked back in the day, and I was adamant: if something came out illegally, it would never be officially released. With time, I had to get over that. The other track had never been out. And I like listening to these songs \u2013 even if today I think the recording technique or the way I used my voice could be improved. It feels like they were recorded by someone else, but I love them.<\/p>\n \n\tDo you miss anything from those early years?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tMaybe the feeling of the first times: first Gold certification, first fan photo on the street, first big collaboration. But I would never go back.<\/p>\n \n\tBut there was a certain melancholy in\u00a0the album X2DVR,<\/em> don\u2019t you think?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI don\u2019t want to go back to the past, even if sometimes I stop by Cinisello Balsamo to say hi to my friend Vito. I know exactly where I come from, even if some choices might seem like they took me further away.\u00a0XDVR<\/em>\u00a0is basically a manifesto of my roots, and I\u2019m re-releasing it for my longtime fans.<\/p>\n \n\tXDVR ANNIVERSAR10<\/em>\u00a0feels like closing a chapter. What comes next?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI have a lot of ideas and a lot of music to make. I wanted to create a little celebratory moment, musically speaking.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat kind of moment is this for trap globally?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s a genre with so many shades now that it\u2019s hard to give a clear answer. Ten years ago, anything with even a hint of trap sound would work. Today, it\u2019s hard to surprise people.<\/p>\n \n\tDon\u2019t you think the genre is at a standstill?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIt depends on the songs. My latest solo album,\u00a0X2DVR<\/em>\u00a0from 2023, was trap \u2013 and it did really well. I think it was my best day-one debut.<\/p>\n \n\tTalking about rap in general, in early November there were no hip-hop tracks in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn the U.S. it\u2019s definitely a different story. But in Italy, I feel like when strong rap albums have dropped recently \u2013 like those of Geolier and Ernia \u2013 they\u2019ve done great. At this point, genres barely exist because everything is so blended.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat are you listening to right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI\u2019m obsessed with a \u201890s Japanese city-pop playlist \u2013 it relaxes me a lot. Or if I\u2019m in the car with my friends, we listen to trap or even Claudio Baglioni [legendary Italian singer-songwriter, ed.].<\/p>\n \n\tAre your friends still the same ones you had back then?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI\u2019d say so, mostly because they ended up becoming part of my team.<\/p>\n \n\tYou and producer Charlie Charles used to be inseparable. What\u2019s your relationship like today?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tFor me, he\u2019s still basically part of the team. He produced two of the biggest tracks on\u00a0X2DVR<\/em> \u2013 \u201c15 Piani\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cAnche Stasera.\u201d And even though he didn\u2019t produce\u00a0Santana Money Gang,<\/em> he was very involved in making it.<\/p>\n \n\tAre you still interested in growing internationally?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tYes, but the approach changed. Before, the idea was to chase big collaborations through managers. Now everything is more direct: it makes sense to build real connections, maybe with smaller artists or a wider network. Growing internationally with music alone is tough because of the language barrier, but I\u2019m still very interested.<\/p>\n \n\tHow do you approach it now?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tFor example, when I go to Miami now, it\u2019s just to get inspired. If I meet someone important in music, that\u2019s great. If not, I don\u2019t care \u2013 I\u2019m not obsessed anymore. At one time, I would\u2019ve done anything to share the stage with Drake. Now it happened naturally. And foreign artists often reach out to me.<\/p>\n \n\tHow did Drake\u2019s invitation come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWe\u2019d already met in Toronto and Los Angeles. In Milan we ended up having dinner, and he casually threw the idea out there.<\/p>\n \n\tYou\u2019re also opening up to Japan, for example.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI performed at 1 OAK in Tokyo: 300 people, mostly Italians and a few Japanese fans who were genuinely curious about discovering new artists.<\/p>\n \n\tCan reaching the top become a limitation?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tNot a limitation, but it can definitely be stressful. The higher you go, the more demanding everything becomes, and it\u2019s obviously hard to please everyone.<\/p>\n \n\tDo you handle people\u2019s judgment well?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tTo be honest, not always. It\u2019s about balance and the people around you. I think I handle it fairly well \u2013 it\u2019s a personality thing. But it depends on the day. Sometimes I\u2019m unbearable with my manager Shablo and ask him, \u2018How is it even possible that\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0got here?\u2019 Other days, I\u2019m the most satisfied person in the world.<\/p>\n \n\tWould you ever participate in the Sanremo Festival?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI\u2019d feel out of place. I\u2019ve taken a different path. It\u2019s not the right competition for me. Maybe as a guest\u2026 never say never.<\/p>\n